Fleet Feet Store Owner Shares Anger, Resolve Following Boston Bombing

"I qualified for Boston!"

Those aren't words that a runner tosses out lightly. That short statement encapsulates all the time and money - not to mention heart - involved in training and qualifying for one of the most prestigious races in the country.

On race day, there's a buzz of anxious energy at the starting line. As the race starts, well-trained runners know to pace themselves and temper the amount of energy expended so they can hold steady, power through tougher inclines and ultimately cross the finish line strong. Along with the physical challenges come the mental ones that threaten to deter an unfocused runner from his or her course, but as they pass each mile marker, the feeling of accomplishment grows.

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Last Monday, countless runners didn't get to see what it felt like to pass 26 in Boston thanks to an act of terror that killed three people and injured hundreds.

For those lucky enough to escape the bombing physically unscathed, what does that feel like - disappointment?

"No," said Bonney Lake runner Paul Morrison, who also owns Bonney Lake Fleet Feet. "People would feel disappointed if they ran the race and ended up with cramps or something and weren't able to finish on their own doing. Here, someone you don't even know throws something like this into the mix. People are feeling violated and mad. ...This is downright rage."

Morrison, who completed his fifth Boston marathon about an hour before the bombs exploded, elaborates on the sense of violation. "It's kind of like when someone breaks into your house and steals your stuff. 'Man, I put six months of time and energy into this,' and not only that: it's expensive to travel to Boston. It's financially hurtful as well."

He led a group of about 12 people - six runners - from his Fleet Feet programs in Bonney Lake and Tacoma to Boston. Everyone was able to congregate at the alphabetized 'F' family reunion area before the group walked back to their hotel together, which was about a mile away, he said.

Morrison estimated the bombing probably occurred within 10 or 20 minutes of them leaving the area because, "by the time we got back to our hotel, it was all over the news already."

The hours that followed were complete chaos. Cell towers were intermittently down but emails and text messages were flying back and forth as people tried to get in touch with loved ones, he said.

Morrison, who also sits on the Tacoma City Marathon Association with business parter Tony Phillippi, said he wasn't able to reconnect with Phillippi for about two to three hours after the bombing. Phillippi, he said, led his own group of runners and not all of them were able to cross the finish line, though no injuries were reported from his group that he was aware of.

"Things were pretty chaotic trying to make sure everybody we knew was safe," he said.

The Tacoma City Marathon Association also organizes the annual Tacoma Narrows Half Marathon. The race starts at the Tacoma Narrows Airport in Gig Harbor and takes both runners and walkers across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, around the warning track at Cheney Stadium before finishing in downtown Tacoma. This year's event is set for Saturday, Aug. 3.

No Fear, Only Resolve

A week later, with one suspect dead and another injured but in custody, Morrison reflects on the impact of the bombing. "I think the Boston Marathon is going to be huge next year," he said. "People are going to go back in honor of the fallen and also to prove a point: terrorists throughout the world can't stop us. ...that race is going to be full. My prediction is it's going to sell out fast."

It's what he's been hearing from his own circle of runners. Fleet Feet Bonney Lake offers an assortment of training programs for those novices just looking to peel themselves off the couch to the more ambitious athletes (see their Patch blog).

"Even the people who haven't run Boston are wanting to qualify and go run it," he said. "I haven't talked to one person who said they're scared and don't want to go back."

To that end, for 2014, the Bonney Lake and Tacoma Fleet Feet stores will be jumping aboard the Boston365 training program made possible by the national Fleet Feet Sports enterprise and Adidas. This program is specific for those wishing to qualify for the elite race. A pilot version of the program was in effect this year, Morrison said, with the opportunity to expand next year. More details are coming soon for that.

Checking in for Tacoma

Fleet Feet's latest group of runners are just wrapping up training ahead of the Tacoma City Marathon set for Sunday, May 5, which is directed by both Morrison and Phillippi.

On Tuesday, April 16, the day after the bombing, race organizers were contacted by the Tacoma Police Department to re-evaluate security for the race, and the dialogue remains ongoing, Morrison said.

"We're going to do whatever we and the city feels is necessary to keep our runners as safe as possible," he said.

Click here to learn more about the Tacoma City Marathon.